Queen At Arms
by Skarrow
Summary: 120 hopefuls, 12 days, 1 Exalt. The search for the perfect Ylissean Queen has finally begun. Lucina isn't here to marry her own father of course; she time traveled to the past and infiltrated the Queen Examination in order to avert the Bad Future. But things get complicated when Chrom himself becomes attracted to her... [AU]


A/N:

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening. Also I _think_ it's more appropriate to label this "Alternate Reality" instead of "Alternate Universe", but ehhh.

* * *

><p>"...Your name?"<p>

"Marth."

"Age?"

"19."

The bored soldier quickly scratched out the nth Queen hopeful's given name onto the parchment, as well as all of the other details Lucina had given, without missing a beat. When he finished he practically tore the paper from the pile, folded it over twice and sealed it with wax before brusquely handing it over to Lucina while yelling, "Next in line?!"

Lucina ignored the open, judgmental gazes of the other women and quit the chamber, her dark blue cape fluttering gently as she walked. She didn't exactly blame them for staring; her mask, her lithe form, even the way she styled her hair so it appeared short, all contributed to her intriguing androgynous appearance. It was a stark contrast to the hundreds of other Queen Candidate hopefuls who gathered in the palace wearing beautiful dresses of the brightest colors.

The princess did not allow herself to relax until she had safely made it to the castle gardens, which had been opened to the public for today. Nobody else seemed to be around, and the night was pleasantly cool. Beneath her feet, the grass looked perfectly maintained. The flowers that bloomed in the bushes and the trees were large and vibrant, even in the shadowy corners. Everything else was awash in pale moonlight, giving the gardens a mysterious, ethereal beauty.

Lucina still had a hard time accepting the fact that such a lovely space would one day be swallowed by flames and drenched in blood.

In the blighted future she hailed from, a dragon known as Grima had brought nearly all of humanity to its knees. It was impossible for the exalted princess to defeat Grima without the Fire Emblem, and it was thanks to the ritual Naga devised, that Lucina was able to go back in time, all the way to her father's generation.

Lucina looked up at the castle towers, quietly contemplating her situation. If she thought hard enough, she could almost see Grima's large, scaly claws gripping the towers and using them as a foothold...

She shook her head as if to shake away her fear.

She came to the past in the first place so she might avert Grima's coming. Lucina could not afford to waste the precious chance the Divine Dragon had given her... nor could she dishonor her friends' sacrifices by hesitating in her mission. No matter what it took to achieve peace, Lucina would endure it with all that she was. She would not allow another innocent life to be taken.

And this was why she was going to infiltrate the Queen Examination for the next 12 days, to pick out possible dangerous elements and figure out the mystery behind her father's near-death at the end of the 12th day.

Just as Lucina thought that, there was the familiar sound of steel clashing against steel, coming from somewhere deeper in the gardens.

She didn't pause or think.

On pure instinct Lucina sprinted towards the sounds of battle while readjusting her mask, adrenaline already shooting through her veins. When she happened upon the scene at last, Lucina was met with the sight of a young man desperately fighting off two hooded figures that deftly moved in and out of the bushes and lashed out with well-timed sword strokes. When the young man stumbled out from the darkness of the trees and into the moonlight, Lucina saw his dark blue hair, the mark of the Exalt on his shoulder and the treasured sword, Falchion, in his grip and immediately identified him as Chrom.

Lucina felt her whole body grow cold from rage and fear in that split second.

Assassins were targeting her father!

_Not while she was alive!_

Lucina jumped out of her hiding place and lunged towards the fighters, drawing her sword and slicing towards the assassin closest to her in one fluid motion. The intruder dodged at the last possible second, rolling off to one side to safety. The second enemy, caught off guard by Lucina's unexpected appearance, was easily knocked away by the blunt of Chrom's sword.

Chrom shot Lucina a wary look. He was understandably suspicious of this new arrival who'd popped out of nowhere. Lucina would have preferred their first meeting to be held under better circumstances but she would get what she could take.

"I am not an enemy, sir," Lucina assured him confidently, purposely making her voice more deeper to obfuscate her femininity. "Allow me to assist you."

Chrom's expression did not change much, but he conceded, "I suppose I have little choice but to trust you for now."

Meanwhile the first enemy had recovered quickly from his tumble, but was now standing several feet away from the pair. Beady black eyes darted between his target and the newcomer, calculating, plotting. Lucina noticed him make the smallest of gestures with his free hand. If she hadn't been staring so hard at the hooded figure she would have missed it, for it was truly that subtle. Was he secretly signalling to one of his companions?

"Behind you!" Lucina shouted.

Chrom reacted instantaneously, flinging himself to the grass as several arrows rained down upon the spot he had been originally standing in. An archer had been hiding in the trees this whole time! The prince rolled away from the second assassin who had long been waiting in the wings, and Lucina intercepted the first intruder's attack to give Chrom enough time to recover from his tumble.

"Your end has come!"

With a cry, Chrom knocked the second assassin down once more, and swiftly stabbed him in the back. Lucina did not utter a sound, but she managed to dispatch the second assassin without much trouble.

Chrom kept his sword level, staring hard into the shadows of the trees and shrubs. "Where is the archer?"

"I am not sure." Lucina kept her back to her father and scanned the area directly behind the prince's line of vision. "The attacks came from the treetops... but, perhaps he has already escaped?"

"Wait! Over there!"

A third hooded person slipped just out of sight as Chrom bellowed. The pair dashed after him together, neither needing to slow down and wait for the other to catch up because of their shared incredible stamina. Still, Chrom was the slightly faster one, and was the first to catch up to the mysterious enemy, Falchion slashing at the cloaked figure. To the prince's consternation, the assassin himself was also very adept at swordplay, turning around just in time to deftly parry Chrom's attacks with his own blade.

"Hah!" Lucina jumped right into the fray and unleashed her own onslaught of attacks on the enemy. Amazingly, the assassin could still fight against the both of them - the sword style was foreign and unfamiliar, much harsher than the Ylissean style and in a way much more elegant. Lucina's eyes narrowed behind her mask. This style reminded her of her cousin, Owain's fighting style-

Sensing that her guard was down, the assassin lunged right at Lucina.

"Ngh-?!"

The princess didn't react fast enough, and in the next moment her mask had been sliced in half, cleanly off her face and falling uselessly to the ground.

"Take this!" Chrom took this chance and quickly stepped forwards, swinging his sword, and succeeded in gaining ground over their foe. The Falchion's unbreakable steel sliced right into its target's shoulder. The assassin groaned in pain, and suddenly jumped away, nimbly vaulting himself through the huge hole in the castle wall and to the other side. "Gods, but he moves quick," Chrom cursed, breathless. He could have continued the chase, but it wasn't wise to go after a criminal that had been after his own life. "And how on earth did he know about the cleft in the castle wall? I thought it was well-hidden..."

Lucina snapped herself out of her reverie and sheathed her Falchion copy right before Chrom turned around to face her.

She felt his eyes study her hair and her face, and he gasped with surprise.

"You're... a woman."

Lucina kept her distance from him, making sure that she was standing in semi-darkness so he wouldn't notice her eyes. Specifically, her left eye. At his shocked observation of her true gender, she couldn't resist a little teasing him. "And a very accomplished actor, seeing how I managed to fool you." She laughed softly to soften her remark.

Chrom shook his head, still a bit stunned, and sheathed his own sword. "You are quite the accomplished swordsman as well. That was quite an entrance you made earlier." He took one step closer, satisfied that she didn't appear to be targeting him and was conversing in a civil manner. "And it is thanks to your skills that I was saved tonight. Thank you."

Seeing him smile at her so warmly tugged at her heart. Lucina was suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to throw herself into her father's arms and tell him the whole truth, and just... break down and cry. It was one thing to keep careful watch over this younger version of her father from a distance, and another to actually stand here and speak with him. She wasn't entirely positive she could keep her wits about her for any longer tonight while she was in his presence...

She couldn't stay and talk to Chrom, no matter how much she would've liked to. It was just impossible for her right now.

"This world teeters at the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned."

"W-what? What do you mean?"

After delivering these prophetic words, Lucina turned around and began briskly walking away.

"Wait!"

Chrom's abrupt plea made Lucina pause.

"...My name is Chrom. Might I ask for the name of my savior tonight?"

Her answer was on her lips before she could consider it-

"Lucina."

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><p>The assassin collapsed inside a tiny barn, his shoulder bleeding badly. Although he'd managed to escape, his two cohorts hadn't been so lucky tonight, and at this rate he would meet the same fate as them. Getting an infection and dying was just a pathetic way to go - it went against everything he believed in. But he didn't have the strength to keep going, or to procure supplies...<p>

The pegasus that had been snoozing in the corner of the barn had been rudely awakened by the assassin's tumble, and it whinnied its protests. Soon the pegasus attracted the attention of her owner - a gentle and pretty girl with long brown hair - to the barn.

Sumia was not expecting to see a wounded man sprawled in the hay like that.

Nor did she realize just what would be happening to her in the next couple of days...

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><p>Around nearly the same time, a certain silver-haired man with a talent for battle and tactics stared at his reflection in the mirror, readjusting his costume for the umpteenth time. He had to make sure everything was perfect, so his identity wouldn't be compromised tomorrow as he conducted the mission.<p>

Tomorrow, he would no longer be known as Chrom's chief tactician and best friend.

He would be a man reborn, so to speak, with a whole new identity.

A whole new _woman_, technically speaking.

He sighed softly, staring at the wig sitting innocently on his bed. The dress he was wearing was embarrassing enough - did Chrom truly have it tailored just for him? Gods. As for the wig, well, he just couldn't bring himself to put it on yet, consciously resisting his duty for as long as he could. It seemed to gaze back at him, mocking him with its luxurious and realistic locks of hair.

Acting was not his strongest suit, but he would have to make do. For the safety of the royal family, of Chrom, of the entire halidom, he would need to abandon his manhood and embrace the ways of the fairer sex. Oh, the things he did for his best friend...


End file.
